Reading with your daughter, whether as part of a mother-daughter book club or just the two of you together, can be a great way for the two of you to connect. It can also help you bring up some of life’s biggest issues and talk about what they mean to you.

Friendship, finding your place in your peer group and developing a sense of yourself and self-confidence are topics that may come up no matter the age. Older teens can benefit from hearing their moms talk about sexuality and women’s issues.

Here’s a list of very discussable books with important topics that mother-daughter book clubs can grow into, starting when the girls are seven and going up to the time they’re ready to pack for college.

Books for 7 and 8 year olds

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. WhiteThis unlikely tale of friendship between a spider and a pig is a delight for all ages.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet tries to understand the people around her by spying on them and writing down what she sees. But when her friends find out what she’s written, they turn away from her, and she must deal with being an outcast.

Utterly Me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child
Clarice learns about friendship and honesty and figuring out how to do what’s right.

Books for 9 and 10 year olds

Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb—Autumn’s home in Tennessee will soon become part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through her eyes we see the beauty of the mountains, streams and countryside around her home. Folk talks, old-time remedies, and Appalachian superstitions add interest.

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass—Amanda and Leo are best friends. Every year they spend their birthdays together, until the year they turn 11, when a misunderstanding has them repeating the day over and over again until they find a way to work out their troubles.

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick—Four middle-school girls are “forced” to join a mother-daughter book club. As they read and go to meetings, they get to know each other beyond what they see at school.

Books for 11 through 13 year olds

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison—Fourteen-year-old Georgia worries about her breasts, her looks and learning how to kiss a boy while dealing with her neurotic cat, clueless parents, and a baby sister still in diapers.

The Curse of Addy McMahon by Katie Davis—Addy is convinced she suffers from a family curse. She finds that being open and honest with her friends and family may be all she needs to break her bad luck.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli—Stargirl is one of a kind, which leads to her being first ostracized at school, then popular, then ostracized again. Leo must decide if he’s willing to put his own school status at risk to be her friend.

Books for ages 14 and up

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly—Mattie’s dying mother asked her to take care of her siblings and her father. But Mattie dreams of going to college and being a writer. A real-life crime tale as well as stories of lumbering camps, isolated farms, supply boats and wealthy summer tourists bring the Adirondacks in the early 1900s to life.

Light Years by Tammar Stein—Maya is serving in the Israeli army when her boyfriend is killed by a suicide bomber. She feels responsible for his death, and enrolls in college in the U.S. to escape the guilt and grief she feels.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley—Terra Cooper wants to escape her small-town life, in which her true self is as carefully concealed as the port-wine-stain birthmark on her face. Terra’s journey of self-discovery helps her find the true meaning of beauty and learn to trust in herself.

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